Just one in twenty (5%) said they trusted the Commons “a lot” with a further 37% stating they trust it “a little”

The report also discusses the ‘micro-targeting’ of political adverts i.e. when a campaigner thinks it’s worth some people seeing their material – but not others. The recommended solution is that targeted adverts should be accompanied by an explainer stating the logic behind the selected audience.

There is a consensus building around the kind of action required to plug the gap which has been created by outdated legislation.

Two in five (40%) of more than 2,000 UK adults surveyed said they did not trust the House of Commons’ elected representatives and non-elected officials ‘to do the right thing’ by them if contacted on an issue.

This too called for imprints on paid digital ads and “simpler access to advertising targeting information within two clicks or less.”

It is encouraging to note that the foreword to the CPS report was authored by David Lidington MP, the Minster for the Cabinet Office – suggesting the door is open for updating rules designed for an ‘analogue age’. In it, he states that improving transparency in politics “can only be a good thing – and it is needed today more than ever.”

There is a sense of urgency and a desire for action which is widespread among politicians, and which appears to stretch as far as the Cabinet.

With the next elections never far away, let’s get a handle on the digital wild west before it spirals out of control.